Light at the End of the Tunnel
by josiemausconn
Summary: Gibbs pays Vance a visit one day, to realize that the love of his life, Jennifer Shepard, is not dead. He has to save her, and hopefully, in the process, rekindle their long-lost romance. More chapters to come! Eventually Jibbs. Should I continue?
1. Chapter 1

"Boss, Director Vance wants you in his office." DiNozzo told Gibbs as he stepped out of the elevator with his morning coffee. Gibbs took a sip of his black Jamaican blend coffee and switched his direction towards the stairs. As he stepped into the director's office, he greeted the secretary and barged in to see Vance.

"Gibbs," Vance started. Gibbs just nodded.

"What can I do for you, Director?" he said, emphasizing every syllable.

"We may have word on Jenny Shepard." Vance said. Gibbs dropped his coffee out of his hand and it exploded all over the office, but at the moment Gibbs didn't care. He had just heard the name of his former lover that he hadn't heard for almost five years. The former lover who he wasn't quite sure he didn't love still. The former lover…who had died five years ago.

"She's dead." Gibbs said slowly, trying to regain his composure. Vance shook his head.

"I know for a fact she's not, Gibbs." Vance said. Gibbs stared at him.

"I saw her body, I saw her. Mike…he just about witnessed the shooting. She's dead Leon."

"She's not, Gibbs." Vance said calmly. Gibbs smacked his hands on Vance's desk.

"Then tell me what I saw! Tell me what I saw then. Tell me who's body Mike and I burned. I know what happened Leon. I know Svetlana. I know Jenny..." Gibbs said. He knew he didn't cry, Gibbs doesn't cry, but he was just about ready to. Could Jenny really not be dead?

"Jenny Shepard was not killed in that gunfight." Vance began. Gibbs opened his mouth again but Vance cut him off. "Let me finish Gibbs. Jenny wasn't killed. In fact, she's still alive. Did you know she had a twin sister? Identical, Gibbs. Heather Shepard and Jenny Shepard were identical in every way, down to DNA. It can happen." Gibbs didn't know if he believed it. He knew Jen had a sister, but a twin? Suddenly, Vance's cell phone began to ring. "Would you excuse me a moment Gibbs?" Vance said, and Gibbs knew it was an order not a question. Gibbs exited his office, and stood just outside the doorway, so he could hear the conversation.

"Yes, yes I told Gibbs…" he heard Vance say. "Of course he believes me…Yes, he did. He still does….I know, that's why it's time to give her up. How's Miss Shepard doing anyways? Just wait until I get home…hit her! I don't care. But I got to go Jackie, bye." Gibbs heard Vance click the phone shut.

"Tell Agent Gibbs he can come back in!" Before Vance could finish saying that, Gibbs opened the door and stepped back inside the office.

"I'm going to leave this…problem up to you. Whatever you want to do about it," said Vance. Gibbs took that as his cue to leave so he opened the door again. "Oh, and Agent Gibbs? Get someone to clean this mess up," Vance referred to the coffee spilt everywhere. Gibbs nodded, and slammed the door on his way out.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that night, Gibbs was alone in his basement as usual, sanding his boat and thinking about Jenny and the possibility that she could still be alive. He had given up that idea five years ago as he and Mike Franks set fire to Jenny's townhouse. But if the news was true, then Gibbs was probably the happiest man alive.

_"Jethro, can we please go?" Jenny asked, her hand wrapped tightly in his own. _

_ "Jen, if you want to go, of course. But I have better ideas of what we could be doing with our time…" Jethro hinted. Jenny laughed. _

_ "Later, Jethro. Now come on, we're going to be late!" said Jenny, pulled Jethro along. _

_ "Jen we have a half an hour before it opens!" said Jethro, laughing. Jenny smiled at him, and placed her hands on either side of his face, and crashed her lips into his. He happily returned the kiss, but as it began to get quite passionate, Jenny broke away and left them both gasping for breath. _

_ "We're in public Jethro," Jenny grinned. Jethro shrugs his shoulders._

_ "Who cares?" he reached in for another kiss, but Jenny stood out of his reach teasingly. _

_ "We do have a half an hour before it opens…" Jenny said, repeating his words. Jethro shot her a smile and began to run back to the hotel. _

But that was in Paris, that was in 1997. Two years before Jenny left him on the plane, with just a Dear John letter of explanation. He had never been able understand his feelings for her, but the day of her death, he began to understand. It all started when Mike told Gibbs what he and Jenny had talked about in California. Mike revealed that Jenny had never stopped loving Gibbs, and that she knew leaving him in Paris was a big mistake. When Gibbs learned that Jenny had said that, he knew that he felt the same way. But he always knew it was a mistake when she left him in Paris. And at that revelation, Gibbs dropped his sanding block. He knew that he needed to find Jenny Shepard.


	3. Chapter 3

Based on what Gibbs heard of Vance's phone call, he knew more than he was letting on. Did Vance not want Gibbs to find Jenny? Then why in the world would he tell Gibbs that she was still alive? Then Gibbs thought of something that he didn't even want to consider. What if Vance just said that to get to Gibbs, to mess with his mind? But he couldn't consider that. Gibbs opened his wooden drawer, pulled out his Sig and slipped it into its holster. If Jenny was alive, why wouldn't she have come to him, come to NCIS? There was a possibility that she was being held hostage, and if that was the case, Gibbs wanted to check that out first. But these people could, and probably would be armed and dangerous. He needed back up. DiNozzo was his senior field agent, but he wasn't that close with Jenny. Other than himself, the only other field agent that was close to Jenny was Ziva. Gibbs flipped out his cell phone and dialed Ziva's number.

"Hey Ziver," Gibbs said. "I need your help. You need to come to my place. Now. I'll brief you when you get here."

"What's the matter Gibbs? Do you want me to call Tony?" Ziva asked.

"No." Gibbs said. "I just need you. Bring your gun."

"Gibbs, what's going on?" Ziva started, but Gibbs had hung up.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ziva, I know you were close to Jenny, and that is why I called you and not Tony." Gibbs said. Ziva nodded.

"Gibbs, please, what is this about?" begged Ziva.

"She might be alive." Gibbs said, not wanting to say 'she _is _alive,' incase he lets both of them down.

"Jenny might be alive? How?" Ziva asked, awestruck.

"Vance told me. Identical twins. But I have a hunch that Vance knows more than he's letting on. I think she's being held hostage, and it's just me, but I think Vance is behind it." Gibbs and Ziva were sitting in his truck, driving to Vance's house.

"You think Director Vance is holding Jenny hostage?" Ziva asked. Gibbs nodded.

"Basically. And we are going to figure out what's up, and if it's true, rescue Jen," said Gibbs. Another reason he chose to bring Ziva, was the fact that she was one of the only people who actually knew what kind of a relationship he and Jenny had. Ziva nodded at him, still surprised that Jenny could still be alive. As the truck pulled closer to the Vance house, Gibbs stopped it a few blocks away. He and Ziva hopped out and quietly began to creep towards Vance's house. Ziva looked at the nervous look on Gibbs' face.

"I hope Vance is right….I hope that she's still alive. I don't care if Vance has her, she'll be safe soon," whispered Gibbs after seeing Ziva looking at him. Ziva nodded her understanding. She adjusted the earwig in her ear, matching the one in Gibbs'.

"Now, you know the plan Ziva," said Gibbs as they neared the Vance house. She nodded once again. They made their way silently to the back of the house. It was the middle of the night, and all the lights in the house were off, thankfully. Gibbs pulled out his lock picking kit, and graciously handed them to Ziva, knowing she was better with that kind of stuff. She began to pick the lock, and handed him pack the tools when she was done. Gibbs put a finger to his lips and opened the door slowly. He and Ziva slipped in. Gibbs had been in the Vance home multiple times, so he knew his way around well. The pair searched the kitchen, family room, and took a quick look in each of the bedrooms and bathrooms. Gibbs shook his head.

'Basement?' Ziva mouthed. Gibbs shrugged, but he began to search for other doors, and Ziva examined the floors for secret entrances. "Gibbs…" she murmured when she found a gap in the floorboards. He walked over slowly and the two pried the floor boards' formation up to reveal a trapdoor. Gibbs found the ladder and stepped down it quietly, with Ziva right behind him. She closed the trapdoor behind them, in case one of the Vance's got up. As Gibbs finished descending those stairs, he looked around the pitch black basement. He couldn't see a thing, but he could swear he saw movement. Either the Vance's kept a really big dog in the basement, or there was a person. Gibbs motioned for Ziva to look in the direction of the movement, and she squeezed his arm showing that she saw it too.

"Find a light…" Gibbs breathed, hardly making any noise. Ziva began to feel around the walls until she found a switch. She made a soft sound indicating that she found a switch, and Gibbs walked towards the sound until he found her. Then his hands flipped the switch up slowly. And once the place was flooded with light, Gibbs couldn't walk fast enough to the place where Jenny Shepard might be. And as he reached the space, he found the figure of a woman bound and tied to a post. Her head was leaning back against the post; she was sleeping. She had the same flaming red hair that he remembered. The same face. But basically everything else had changed. She was skinny, boney. She was wearing clothes many times too big for her, and she had cuts and bruises in all different colors placed in various places around her body. But it was her, he was positive.

"It's her…" Gibbs said, forgetting for a moment that they were supposed to be quiet. Ziva smiled at him, and at her.

"Do you want to wake her up?" whispered Ziva. Gibbs shook his head.

"It looks like she needs sleep," said Gibbs. Ziva agreed. The two decided to stay, they had cleared the house, and they could take down Vance if he came. Gibbs started to walk to a corner to sit down, but a floor board creaked. He swore under his breath, but suddenly, Jenny's figure began to stir. Gibbs froze, as did Ziva.

"Leon please…" she muttered. "Please don't. Not again…" Gibbs knew Jenny, and she wasn't sleep talking.

"Jen…" he said quietly, still in awe over the fact that he gets to see his life's love after five years of thinking he would never see her again. Jenny perked up. Her bright green eyes snapped open.

"J-Jethro?" she hesitated to say the name. Ever since she had been almost killed, and kidnapped by Leon Vance, she thought that one day she would escape and run back to Jethro. But that never happened, and she gave up the dream. So to hear the voice of her former lover, the one she had never stopped loving, was like a dream come true.

"Yeah, Jen, it's me." Gibbs said, overwhelmed with emotion. Jenny's blurry vision regained sight and she stared at him.

"Jethro…" she gasped again. Gibbs ran over to slice through the thick rope tying her to the post. And it seemed like he couldn't do it fast enough, for either of them. For once he was finished, he sat down right next to Jenny, and grabbed her hand. He ran his fingers over each of the visible veins in her hand, and massaged the red rope burns.

"Jethro, are you really here?" she breathed. He nodded at her, and smiled.

"I'll always be here for you Jen," he said. With her free hand, she reached up and cupped his face. He felt her hands shaking slightly, whether it be from being tied up, or from being nervous at what she was about to do. Either way, she gently placed her lips on his. He eagerly returned the kiss, but she pulled away when he ran his tongue over her lip.

"It's been a while…" she said with a smirk.

"But I've missed you Jen. Again," he replied. She looked at him.

"Get me out of here."


	5. Chapter 5

Ziva tiptoed up that ladder in the Vance's basement, Jenny right behind her, Gibbs helping her from behind, (which he probably didn't mind.) Everything was going fine, Gibbs had called DiNozzo and McGee for back up for when Vance woke up. Gibbs was going to stay at the house until back-up arrived, and Ziva was going to go get Jenny to a hospital. But Jenny didn't want to leave, she wanted to see the man who had kidnapped and tortured her for years get what was due for him. Gibbs protested against that, but one look at Jenny's eyes, begging to stay, melted the federal agent and he allowed her to stay, hidden though, outside of the action. Ziva was about to close the trapdoor, but Jenny, still stretching out her legs, stumbled into a sofa. Ziva gasped, dropped the trapdoor, and pulled out her gun. Gibbs cursed at the noise disturbance, it was too loud to not be heard by Vance. Gibbs motioned for the two women to stay still, and they all listened for voices upstairs.

"Shh…Jackie just stay here. I'll check it out. Jen probably is having a nightmare again," said Vance. Gibbs closed his eyes, wishing for McGee and DiNozzo to hurry, and he quickly placed Jenny in an armchair, the back facing towards the staircase. He drew his gun to match Ziva's, and pointed it towards the stairs. They heard Vance descended them, and suddenly he flipped the light on in the living room. Gibbs and Ziva's profiles were illuminated in the flood of light, and Vance immediately made eye contact with them.

"Get down on the ground!" growled Gibbs, pointing his gun at Vance.

"Whoa, Gibbs, what's going on?" Vance said, just as angrily.

"Oh shut up. We know what you've done. Now if you value your life, GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!" Gibbs screamed. He saw Jenny flinch out of the corner of his eye. Vance slowly got down on his knees, then placed his belly on the ground. Gibbs indicated that Ziva should handcuff him, so she slowly lowered her weapon and slipped the handcuffs on the man, none too gently. Just at that moment there was a car tire skid from outside, and Gibbs saw McGee and DiNozzo step out of the NCIS vehicle. He rolled his eyes at the late agents. Ziva exited the house with Vance in front of her, shoving him. She caught McGee and DiNozzo up on what had happened, and they shoved Vance in the car. Ziva looked at Gibbs, who waved them away with his hand. Ziva shrugged and pulled open the driver's seat door. Gibbs saw DiNozzo protest, and the two of them got into an argument, while McGee just slipped in the driver's seat and started the car. The other two realized that they had been beaten, and reluctantly hopped in the passenger seats. Gibbs waited for them to leave completely, then he went to Jenny.

"Jen, you alright?" he said over the armchair. She turned the chair around and looked at him. Instead of saying anything, she just smiled. Gibbs smiled back.

"I am now, Jethro." Jenny said. Gibbs' heart melted at that, he didn't realize how much he truly missed hearing her voice every day.

"I gotta take you to the hospital, Jen," Gibbs said gruffly. He snapped back into his federal agent persona. Jenny's smile got even bigger.

"I love it when you talk rough." Jenny said, standing up. She placed her arms around Gibbs' neck, and he felt immediately at home.

"How about not?" Jenny suggested. "Take me to your place. Ducky can check me up later." Gibbs ran a finger down the bruises on her face and considered the proposition.

"You sure you'll be fine?"

"Jethro…!" Gibbs laughed at her, and stole a quick kiss. When Jenny's lips lingered too long this time, _he _pulled away.

"Let's get you home."


	6. Chapter 6

Jenny and Gibbs were standing outside Gibbs' door, kissing. Gibbs' hand was in his pocket, struggling to find the key. He wasn't having any luck, so Jenny slipped her small hand into Gibbs' jeans pocket. She felt how warm his hand was, and she extracted the key with no problem. She pulled her lips of Gibbs' when the need for oxygen became apparent. Gibbs was still trying to take the new-found relationship with Jenny slowly, so she would have time to recuperate from her incident. Jenny would have been fine with going fast, and embracing things as they come, but Gibbs wanted her to feel 100% before anything spectacular. Jenny smiled at Gibbs as she stuck the key in the lock and twisted it.

"Guess I missed a lot. Since when do you lock your door?" said Jenny. Gibbs smirked.

"I knew I was going to be finding you didn't I?" said Gibbs. Jenny shrugged, understanding that that wasn't really the answer to her question. But it was one of those things with Gibbs, never expect a full answer. It was like a rule. Gibbs opened the door and placed his hand on Jenny's back as he led her inside.

"It hasn't changed," Jenny breathed, staring around the enclosed space, inhaling the smell of sawdust and Old Spice. She placed an arm around Gibbs and he placed on around her waist. Jenny noticed that he and his house smelt just like before. Some things never change.

The next day at NCIS, Gibbs came in hand in hand with Jenny. DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva all stood up, and applauded at seeing their long-lost director enter the building once more, hand in hand with the person perfect for her. Jenny smiled.

"It's good to be back," she said. Gibbs then looked at his team.

"Did you—" he started.

"Talk to SecNav? We were in MTAC for an hour with him! He understands the circumstances completely and he would be more than honored to—" DiNozzo began, but was cut off by Gibbs.

"We wanted to surprise you Jen. We got your job back," said Gibbs. Jenny's eyes widened and she pulled Gibbs into a big hug, followed by the rest of the team.

"Welcome home Director Shepard." Ziva said.

**A/N: This might be the end. I was thinking of continuing for a few more chapters, getting Jenny pregnant, but I liked where it ended here. Maybe I'll do a sequel, though. Read and review…tell me what you think!**


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